10 Songs That Caused Huge Rifts In Bands
6. Dancing In The Street - Van Halen
Van Halen's time with David Lee Roth was a creative streak that has gone down in rock history. Throughout the late 70's and early 80's, the band made impeccable hard rock with nearly every song being a must-hear for hard rock fans. Notice the use of the word NEARLY.
Just before the band wowed us with their massive album 1984, the band's previous release Diver Down was met with tension between the band members. Though there is some strong material on the record, Eddie Van Halen has expressed distaste for the rushed production and the fact that half the record was filled with cover songs. Out of all the cover material on the album, most of the band couldn't get behind "Dancing in the Street," which Roth thought would send them over the top.
Given the band's track record for writing hard rock masterpieces, the rest of the group felt that they had no place riding the coattails of a Motown classic from the 60's. Though Roth gives a decent performance of the tune, the rest of the song shows the band somewhat on autopilot. While most of Van Halen's output at this time was excellent, this song gives the impression of a David Lee Roth solo song that just happens to have his Van Halen bandmates backing him up.